𝐓𝐎 𝐁𝐄 𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐍 𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐕𝐄 * 𝐂𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐎𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐔𝐒 𝐒𝐍𝐎𝐖

𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐃 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐀 𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐓𝐋𝐄 𝐖𝐇𝐈𝐋𝐄

"Good morning, Venus." He smiled.

She smirked in return. "Good morning, Coryo." The bad feeling that settled in her soul fleeting immediately. "Will you escort me to my seat?"

"Of course." He replied.

They were operating normally, no time to discuss the events of last night with all of these eyes and cameras watching them. In the middle of the Hall they were stopped by a photographer, demanding big smiles from the Top Scholars of the Academy. They halted, posed together with large grins, the instant flash of the camera gone in a blink.

"Ten tributes remain. Reaper still at the top of the boards." Lucky's voice grew louder as Coriolanus and Venus approached their seating arrangements.

Lysistrata, a fellow mentor to District Twelve, hesitated in taking her seat. "They're not showing us what happened to that little boy." She alerted her classmates. "He clearly was killed right there. There's cameras everywhere. It doesn't make sense."

"They said they were old cameras, Lyssie." Festus countered. "Probably just another one of Coral's."

Venus knew that they often said a lot of things that were untrue. Gaul made sure to pull all stops when it came to her Games. The latest technology, scientific inventions, nothing was too much when the Hunger Games were involved. So why now, so suddenly, is the excuse of old tech being brought up. It's simply because Festus and Lyssie did not know any better.

She turned to share her sentiments in favor of Lysistrata, being caught off guard by Coriolanus's unwavering gaze at the screen. The image held onto the dead body of Bobbin and unmoving from the scene much too long for his liking. He took a careful seat at his station, not even bothering to chime into the conversation. Whatever happened in the Arena, whatever he was so adamant at not telling her, had to do with Bobbin.

Beside his corpse was a sword, the faintest of red on the tip of the blade before the camera cut away. Looking at her former rival, she narrowed her brows, brain working overtime to make sense of the equation. Taking her seat beside him, she let the conversation pass naturally with Lucky Flickerman instructing Festus to settle down.

The new image on the screen showed Jessup and Lucy Gray within the sewers, huddled with each other as his low groans could be heard. Venus tried not rolling her eyes, digging within the depths of her soul to be sympathetic to his tribute situation. Part of her was growing impatient the more the camera focused on Lucy Gray. Venus was counting down the minutes, the hours, until the District girl met her demise. She needed Dill to win the Games, it was nothing purely personal.

Although, Lucy Gray's death would ensure Coriolanus's undivided attention.

Jessup bolted up from the ground, chasing after Lucy Gray who dashed in a mixture of dirt and rainbow frills to the nearest exit. Blue eyes were stuck to the screen, hissing at the boys mentor to the other side of him.

"Lyssie, what is he doing?" Coriolanus stood up in shock.

The girl shook her head, dark braids following in motion. "Something's wrong. He wouldn't turn on her like this."

Venus watched the exchange, emotionless, and waiting for something exciting to happen. As long as Dill was safe and out of anyone's sights, she was completely unmoved by anything else. To protect herself and her mental stability, she had to completely disassociate what was happening in front of her. She had to protect some sort of humanity within herself.

Lucy Gray stumbled her way up a stone fixture, courtesy of the rebel bombing that displaced it from the ceiling of the Arena. Jessup followed after her, appearing as if he was in a drunken state, muttering something to her that was inaudible in Heavensbee Hall. Coriolanus let out a breath, turning his back on the screen only momentarily as he tried to think of something quickly.